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Homemade cracker jacks spilling onto a wooden board.
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Homemade Cracker Jacks

This caramel coated popcorn and peanut recipe will remind you of eating those tiny boxes of Cracker Jacks as a kid, but in a big bowl! Bring your own prize!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 493kcal
Author: Cynthia

Ingredients

Caramel Ingredients

  • 10 cups popped popcorn one bag of microwave popcorn
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • cup light corn syrup
  • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • ½ teaspoon fine grain salt

Stuff to Add After the Caramel is Done

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup peanuts

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 250°. Spray a large sheet pan with non-stick spray, line it with parchment paper, and spray it again. Get your baking soda (NOT baking powder! Check that label!), vanilla, and peanuts measured and put to the side, ready for their big moments! Once the caramel is ready, things move very fast! Pop all your popcorn, put in in a very large bowl, big enough for assertive stirring in a just a bit.
  • In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, butter, and salt. Cook over medium high heat, whisking constantly, until temperature reaches 250° with a thermometer or about 2 minutes after bubbles first appear. Take the caramel off the heat and immediately whisk in the vanilla and baking soda. It will bubble and pop! Just letting you know 😉
  • Pour over the popcorn, using a rubber spatula to get all the caramelly goodness out of the pan, add the peanuts (if using) and stir stir stir to evenly coat the popcorn with caramel.
  • Pour onto your prepared baking sheet and spread evenly with the spatula. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, bake for another 20 minutes, stir, and bake for a final 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir one last time, then place on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
  • This would last up to one week in a tightly covered container or ziplock bag if you didn’t just eat it all, but you did.

Nutrition

Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 174g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 235mg | Potassium: 628mg | Fiber: 26g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 131IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 6mg